Medicaid IMD Waivers Did Not Increase Overall Psychiatric Hospitalization Rate

In states that obtained a Medicaid waiver to reimburse for treatment provided by a facility considered an Institution for Mental Diseases (IMD) to adults ages 21 to 64, subsequent psychiatric inpatient admissions and emergency department visits were lower than in states that did not obtain a waiver, according to a recent comparison.

An IMD is defined as a psychiatric facility with more than 16 beds. In the states with an IMD waiver, the odds of a psychiatric inpatient admission were 14% lower, and odds of a psychiatric emergency department visit were 26% lower.

The comparison included 130,224 adult Medicaid . . .